Pollard relishing Sacha's challenge for the 10 jersey

The Springboks are blessed to have three world-class flyhalves in their midst, and one of them is relishing the competition that it has sparked in the World Cup holders' squad.

Springbok veteran Handre Pollard, widely regarded as the clutch player in the Boks and the kicker the team turned to when they needed to eke out one-point victories that took them through the playoffs of the World Cup in 2023, sees the emergence of upstart Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu as a massive plus for Bok rugby.

Handre Pollard will start in the 🔟 jersey this weekend against Italy.

Loftus will also be his new home after signing with the Bulls for the new season 🟦#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/MiUl0HPGKW

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The third cog is Manie Libbok, who reminded the Bok fans this past weekend of his talent with a sensational kicking performance in the rain in the second half.

Coach Rassie Erasmus now has three very different skillsets to choose from in the 10 jersey and could add a fourth in Jordan Hendrikse if he needs to. Either way, the abundance of riches is a good thing, and the competition in the squad will spur the team to greater heights.

Pollard, though, couldn’t give a wider smile when asked the trademark question about competition between the three, and his answer confirmed he was relishing the challenge.

“Its absolutely brilliant. We are so blessed with so much talent in this country and as long as you keep it healthy, then it is brilliant. We push each other as hard as we can,” Pollard said.

“The best thing I can do for them is to push them every day in training and vice versa. We all have different skillsets and different things we can do well but we have to learn from each other every single day and try and evolve together.

“If I can teach them anything and they can learn from me, then it is something great and we will get better as a group.”

The Boks will be looking to up the ante this season and blood a lot of new players while retaining a number of their World Cup winners. Coach Rassie Erasmus has said more than once that teams will be rotated to the extent that each player is only likely to play eight or nine tests, thereby giving the less experienced players more caps while prolonging the careers of some of the older players.

Pollard also paid tribute to Jesse Kriel, who will become the 67th captain for the Boks this weekend and is a player that has been friends with Pollock since they met in junior rugby.

“Jesse is probably the hardest-working guy I know. He has been that way since I first met him when I was 18 years old and for me, there is nobody more deserving of the honour. As a player and as a team, you want to follow someone who leads by example.

“We have Siya (Kolisi) and he is incredible and we know he will be back. But Jesse is a guy who we know is leading from the front every single day and every single training session. That is a guy you want to play for, he is a great friend of mine and we all have the greatest respect for him.”

The midfield is another area where the Boks have an abundance of talent, with Erasmus using Andre Esterhuizen on the flank against the Barbarians last weekend, and it is clear that while the competition is good and healthy, the Boks will flourish.